Signal device



March 14, 1939. J w MYERS 2,150,840

SIGNAL DEVICE Filed April 10, 1935 Patented Mar. 14, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,150,840" SIGNAL DEVICE Joseph W. Myers, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Proctor & Schwartz Inc.,

Philadelphia, Vania Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Application April 10, 1935, Serial No. 15,705

4 Claims.

This invention relates to signal devices for electrical household appliances such as a toaster. the principal object being to provide a simple and efiective device for indicating the opening of the electrical circuit of the appliance by the Hindi thermostatic switch. In the case 01 a t aster. the device indicates that the toasting operation has been completed. The invention may likewise be applied to waille irons and other thermostatically-controlled appliances.

Another object of the invention is to provide a signal device for the specific purpose which is inexpensive to manufacture and to incorporate in an appliance, and which does not materially add to the cost of manufacture of the appliance.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is unique and attractive in that it is adapted to give an audible signal in the form of a brief ringing sound which is pleasing to the ear and yet sufilcient to give the desired indication.

Other objects and features of the invention will appear hereinafter. In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a specific form of the invention Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section taken through the signal device;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken transversely of that of Fig. 3 from the right side thereof as viewed in the drawing;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view 01' the signal device without the coil thereof;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the coil; and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the simple electrical circuit of the appliance.

The toaster which is illustrated on the drawing is representative of any thermostatically-controlled electrical appliance to which the present invention may be applied. This toaster may have embodied therein a thermostatic device of the type disclosed in the Hurxthal Patent No. 1,540,628, granted June 2, 1925. It will be understood, however, that the appliance may be equipped with any particular form of thermostatic device adapted to open the electrical circuit, the particular form being immaterial insofar as the present invention is concerned. H

In the specific application of the invention to the toaster illustrated, the signal device provided by the invention is mounted within the base of the toaster at one side thereof, this being a convenient location in the particular appliance. The device comprises a sound-emitting member i a toaster having which may take the form of a small bell as clear-- ly illustrated. This member or bell may be suspended from a bracket 2 which is secured to the horizontal wall 3 of the toaster (see Figs. 2 and 3) and which serves to support the other elements of the signal device. supporting portion 4 of the bracket, there is provided the coll-supporting portion 5 which has upturned tabs 6 adapted to retain the coil 1 in position. The portion 5 has formed therein a run- 1 way 8 communicating with the bell through the opening 9. The coil I is adapted to seat upon the portion 5 of the bracket with insulating members l0 thereabout. The insulation about the coil may take the form of asbestos and mica sheet material or other suitable material.

The coil is wound so as to have a central openin'g ii adapted to accommodate a freely movable small ball 2i! (see Fig. 2) formed of magnetic mat'erial such as iron or steel. The runway 8 and the opening 19 are of such size and shape as to accommodate the magnetic ball. The coil 1 is designed so as to have sufllcient electromagnetic pull when energized to draw or suck the ball upward within the opening Ii which in eflect forms a continuation of the runway, as shown in Fig. 2. Thus, energization of the coil causes the magnetic ball to move up into the opening II and the ball is electromagnetically suspended in that position until the coil is deenergized. Upon deenergization of the coil, the ball is released and falls by gravity into the runway and is directed by the runway through the opening 9 and strikes the hell I, giving a sound which is pleasing to the ear and suflicient to give the desired indication. When the ball strikes the hell it rebounds and rolls into the lowermost portion of the runway which is slightly sloped downward away from the bell, as seen in Fig. 2. This serves to prevent the ballfrom damping the sound and also positions the ball directly below the coil for the next operation.

The coil of the signal device is electrically connected with the other elements of the appliance in the simple manner illustrated in Fig. 6. In that figure, the heating unit or element of the appliance is shown at i3, while the thermostatic switch is shown at H, these elements being serially connected so that thethermostatic switch controls the heating element and opens the circuit thereof upon completion of the cooking ,or other operation. The coil 7 provided 'by this invention may be connected in series with these elements, as illustrated, so that the energization of the coil is also controlled by the. thermostatic Adjacent the bellswitch, Thus in operation of the toaster, the thermostatic switch will be initially closed and the coil 1 will be energized drawing the magnetic ball to the position shown in Fig. 2. Upon completion of the toasting operation, the thermostatic switch will open, deenergizing coil 1 and allowing the ball to drop to give the signal as above described.

It will be seen that this device is extremely simple, easy and economic to manufacture and to incorporate in an appliance, unique and attractive in operation, and eflective in the giving of a pleasing signal which is audible to persons in the immediate vicinity of the appliance. Although the invention has been disclosed and described with specific reference to a toaster of a certain type, it will be understood that various changes and modifications are possible and that the invention may be applied to other appliances as above mentioned.

I .claim: I

1. A signal device for indicating the interruption of an electrical circuit, comprising a soundemitting member, a runway adjacent said member, a freely movable magnetic member adapted to traverse said runway to strike said soundemitting' member, said runway being formed to prevent said magnetic member from lying against said sound-emitting member, and energizable electrical means included in said circuit and disposed above said runway to draw said magnetic member against the influence of gravity away from said sound-emitting member, whereby said magnetic member moves gravitationally 'and traverses said runway to strike said sound-emitting member when the circuit ls interrupted.

2. The combination with an electrical appliance having an electrical circuit and an automatic switch controlling energization of said circuit, of a signal device for indicating the deenergization of said circuit by said switch, means for mounting said signal device on said appliance, said signal device comprising a sound-emitting member, a runway leading to said member, a freely movable magnetic member adapted to traverse said runway to strike said sound-emitting member, and energizableelectrical' means included in said circuit and disposed above said runway to draw said magnetic member against the influence ofgravity away from said sound-emitting member, whereby said magnetic member moves gravitationally and traverses said runway to strike said sound-emitting member when the circuit is interrupted.

3. The combination with an electrical appliance having an electrical circuit and an automatic switch controlling energization of said circuit, of a signal device for indicating the deenergization of said circuit by said switch, means for mounting said signal device on said appliance, said signal device comprising a sound-emitting member, a runway adjacent said member, said runway slop ing downward away from said member, a freely movable magnetic member adapted to traverse said runway to strike said sound-emitting member, and energizable electrical means included in said circuit and disposed above the lowermost portion of said runway to draw said magnetic member against the influence of gravity away from said sound-emitting member, whereby said magnetic member moves gravitationally and traverses said runway to strike said sound-emitting member when the circuit is interrupted.

4. The combination with. an electrical appliance having an electrical circuit and an automatic switch controlling energization of said circuit, of a signal device for indicating the deenergization of said circuit by said switch, means for mounting said signal device on said appliance, said signal device comprising a sound-emitting member, a runway adjacent said member, said runway sloping downward away from said member, a freely movable magnetic member adapted to traverse said runway to strike said sound-emitting member, and an electrical coil with a central opening mounted above said runway with the said opening above the lowermost portion of said runway, said coil being included in said circuit, whereby said coil draws said magnetic member into said opening against the influence of gravity when said circuit is energized, and releases said magnetic member under the influence of gravity when said circuit is deenergized by said switch.

JOSEPH- W. MYERS. 

